The protesters are demanding for the release of arrested activists while denouncing the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) led government affiliated to the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) accused of marginalising the poor largest northern regions of Amhara and Oromia.

Just as last Sunday’s protest that saw tens of thousands of people defy thousands of security forces deployed to stop them, government media said no permission has been given for this weekend’s demonstration, local media report.

There are however unconfirmed reports of an internet blackout in the country ahead of the planned protests.